Thanks to all of you guys playing Athletic Shoe Santa, there are close to 200 teens from the Gwinnett Boys & Girls Club who will have some gently used (new-to-them) kicks this year.

And thank you to The Sport Factory, PT Solutions, Westminster Masters Swimming, all3sports, and Stone Family Chiropractic for serving as drop-off locations.

Thank you for your generosity!

Now  . . . go for a run and start wearing out your shoes for next year’s drive!! 

Mine was an ugly green Big Wheels with a hole in the middle. I loved it. I remember FLYING down the driveway and going straight into the grass every time. There was a feeling of freedom, thrill, and complete excitement.

At The Sport Factory, we are trying to share the love of riding bikes with kids who have physical disabilities which prevent them from riding mainstream bicycles.

Last year, a group of Sport Factory coaches and athletes, lead by Coach Matt Russ, Jen, and Curtis Henry, decided to start a little project called My First Bike. Over the summer, we have donated, collected donations, and put on clinics and races to raise money to buy the first bike. And last weekend at The Sport Factory Team Party, we saw our first recipient, Tim, talk about the joy he feels when riding his adaptive bike. Everyone in the room was touched by his courage and wisdom as he not only faces his challenges, but overcomes them and inspires others in the process. Here we thought we were helping Tim by giving him a bike; HE totally inspired US with his incredible strength, humor, and optimism as he shared a bit of his history and his attitude on life. Funny how that works.

Tim getting comfy in the saddle at our Open Water Swim Clinic fundraiser over the summer.

Tim is not in any hurry to get off the bike!

Curtis, Jen, Tim, Sarah, and Matt

We are not stopping with Tim– this is too much fun. We need your help, though.

If you think your organization could be a part of a BUILD A BIKE CAMPAIGN, we’d love to talk to you! Do you have any other fund raising ideas or ways to contribute?  We are in the process of selecting our next recipient, and we’d love your help in getting this kid on two wheels!

www.myfirstbike.org

Hey everyone!

Stop hoarding those shoes that you don’t really need anymore…  You know you’re gonna get some new kicks anyway!  It’s time for The 2nd Annual Triathlete Holiday Shoe Drive benefiting underprivileged and at-risk teens in Atlanta.

We hope you have saved all your athletic shoes for us. We had a great collection last year…over 150 pairs…..and we hope to surpass that!

We are asking for gently used, CLEAN, athletic shoes.. We would like them to be in good shape so the teens that receive them will be able to get some use out of them. If they are dirty, no worries, just throw them in the washing machine and hand them over! If you wash them, they look brand-spankin’ new (and have no stank!).

There are 5 drop-off locations:
1. The Sport Factory-Roswell
2. PT-Solutions, Acworth Location.
3. Reality Bikes-Cumming
4. Masters swim practice @ Westminster
5. Stone Family Chiropractic — Kennesaw

We can also arrange to meet some of you if you have a bunch and can’t get to a drop off location.

If you would like to donate:
-make sure shoes are gently worn and clean – throw in the washing machine!
-please put them in a plastic bag so the shoes will not get separated from each other
-drop them off at the above locations.

We will be collecting until December 15th so we can have them delivered before Christmas. Thank you for your help and we look forward to seeing your shoes!!!

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me or Jennifer Lesser.
amykloner@yahoo.com or jless@comcast.net

THANK YOU and please pass along to any other groups who may be able to contribute.

Jen and her copilot (husband Curtis— an “Everyday Husband Hero!”) are doing great things here in Atlanta, and I’m one of many people who are proud to call them friends.  CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Ironman cut Jen a check for $1000 to the charity of her choice (My First Bike), and gave her a free entry for another Ironman next year.  The donation is great, but Ironman has a whacked-out idea of a “free vacation,” wouldn’t you say!?  What’s wrong with a nice 4-day cruise instead??  Just sayin’… 

Congratulations, Jen!  Keep up the great work.

(I’ve heard that if you’re REALLY dedicated, though, you’ll sleep with it right next to your bed.  I’m not there yet.)

All whining aside . . . we are SO lucky to be able to do this.  I’ve often said that my two favorite things to do are travel internationally and race triathlons. A lot of us are really lucky to be able to not only train and race, but take it on the road and see the world.  About six months ago, I got to to do both at my friend, Ryan Landy’s, 11global triathlon series in Cape Town, South Africa.

After returning to the US, Ryan and I decided to enlist in YOUR help to send goggles and swim equipment back to all the kids who don’t have a shred of what we have.  And I just want to sincerely thank you for your generosity.

Ryan recently traveled back to South Africa in preparation for the Sun City race in November, and hand-delivered your schwag to the head honchos at the Department of Sport and Recreation & the swim coaches for the local kids.

I’d like to share Ryan’s letter:

Here are a few shots . . .  not even half of what we sent is shown below.  You guys really had a lot of goggles!

Please consider joining us on Sunday, July 26th from 8am-10:30am at Lake Lanier for an Open Water Swim Clinic to benefit MY FIRST BIKE, a nonprofit formed specifically to purchase adaptive bikes for kids with special needs.

Info on MY FIRST BIKE can be found HERE.

About the clinic: We will review and practice race starts, entries, and exits, sighting/ navigation, buoy turns, wetsuits, tactics, and swimming in a pack.  Clinic is open to all levels of swimmers including beginners and will include a 500m open water swim.

To top it off . . . we will feed you afterwards!  Breakfast is included–  does it get any better than that?

Your $40 will get you some great swim practice/instruction, grub, and best of all, it will get us a little closer to purchasing an adaptive bike for a kid who will LOVE it as much as WE love riding our bikes!

Please register for this clinic HERE.

Please forward this message to any other listservs/groups of athletes who might like to join us.  And if you’re a blogger in the ATL, please help us spread the word!

THANK YOU and we hope to see you there!

I mentioned being very impressed with the “heart” that these kids had to just jump in and try with all their might. Only one or two kids, however, had proper swim goggles and gear. Most were swimming in their underwear.

I want to help change that, and I’m hoping you can contribute in a small way to make a big difference. I’m not talking about changing the world, but you just never know what a little encouragement can do for someone who grows up with VERY little. Getting a package from people who believe in them, saying, “we did this for you and we want you to keep working hard at what you love” might, just might be the motivation they need to stay on track. There are plenty of opportunities surrounding them to get OFF track. 

How many of you guys have a few extra goggles lying around that are in perfectly good condition?  Will you part ways with them? While we go through goggles like underwear, your pair could be the only pair that this kid will ever get, and I promise they will be cherished!  If you want to participate, please start collecting your goggles, your kids’ goggles, and your friends’ goggles.  If your kids have suits in good condition, please set those aside, too.  If you’re in Atlanta, I’ll meet you to pick up.  If you’re outside of Atlanta, just mail them to me.  CONTACT ME HERE if you’re interested in participating.

I realize that most of us are feeling an economic squeeze right now, and it’s tough to ask for money.  Ryan Landy and I also want to send some NEW gear to the kids as well, though.  Ryan has generously offered to match all monetary donations through 11global.  If you would rather donate $5 or $10 (we can get a pair of goggles for $5), you can easily do that through PayPal. CLICK HERE to skip today’s latte and instead send a pair of goggles to these kids in Cape Town.

PS…  IF YOU DONATE and you want to include a small note to these kids — just a few words of encouragement — we’ll throw all the notes in the box along with the gear.  I think that would be VERY cool and a way to add your own personal touch.  Totally optional.

And one final request: To all you bloggers, will you help me tap into the good hearts of the blogosphere?  If you’re reading this and you have a blog, please help me… link to this post to get the word out.  Two blogs (or 50) are better than one!!

Thank you so much.  It won’t take much from each of us, but together, we can really make an impact.

And below is the longer version of the race video from 11global’s home page.  If you want to see the kids from Atlantis, skip to about 2:44 in the video, and you can see about 2 minutes of coverage.  They are phenomenal!!